Comparison of real-time simulation methods for power electronic applications

Developing the control of modern power converters is a very expensive and time-consuming task. Real-time simulation of the power stage with analog measured signals can reduce significantly the cost and time of developing a product. This new approach is known as HIL (Hardware-In-the-Loop) testing. It combines the advantages of other testing methods: low cost like offline computer simulation, complex tests like laboratory testing and realistic conditions like testing on the field. Many calculation algorithms are used for general circuit simulation. The subject of this paper is the evaluation of the most commonly used algorithms from the aspect of HIL simulation of a typical power electronic application: an LCL filter after a three-phase inverter. Beyond the realistic result, simplicity is also an important requirement, which allows shorter time steps in the simulator. The main goal is to determine whether the more complicated or the faster methods give the better simulation result.